Djokovic upset by Hurkacz in Shanghai Masters second round

Novak Djokovic lost to Hubert Hurkacz in the second round of the Shanghai Masters on 9 October 2026, falling 6-4 6-3 in 87 minutes after receiving a first-round bye as the tournament's 10th seed.

Djokovic had arrived in Shanghai three days after winning the China Open in Beijing, where the 39-year-old ended an 11-month wait to lift the 102nd title of his career when Alex de Minaur retired injured from the final. The match with Hurkacz was Djokovic's sixth in 10 days and represented his first defeat to the Pole in nine career meetings.

The big-serving Hurkacz, winner in 2023 and currently ranked 34th in the world, produced the victory in straight sets and praised his opponent afterwards, saying: "It's a special night. I've been playing Novak for like seven years. It's been unsuccessful but [he has been] such a great champion for so many years," Hurkacz said. "He just won Beijing, so it's a very difficult task to play against him, but also it is a pleasure for me to share a court with him, to play such a legend of the sport."

Men's record 24-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic had claimed a tour-level singles title for the 21st year in a row with his Beijing triumph, where he is on a 34-match winning streak. That China Open final was only his second final of the year following January's Australian Open final defeat by Carlos Alcaraz.

Djokovic's run in Beijing included a win over world number two Alexander Zverev and a match in which he led third seed Daniil Medvedev by a set and a break when the Russian was defaulted on his way to the Beijing final. In Shanghai his campaign was undone by a single break of serve in each set against Hurkacz.

Also in Shanghai, Great Britain's Arthur Fery was beaten by Karen Khachanov in a tightly contested three-set match, 7-6 (8-6) 6-7 (5-7) 7-6 (7-2), after three-and-a-half hours; Fery had reached the Wimbledon semi-finals earlier this year.

Victory in Beijing had boosted Djokovic's hopes of qualifying for the season-ending ATP Finals, but he is currently ninth in the race to Turin and will now require a strong showing at the Paris Masters in November to break into the top eight.